MIT chemical engineers have shown that specialized particles can oscillate together, demonstrating a phenomenon known as emergent behavior. Credits : Image: Courtesy of the researchers
MIT chemical engineers have shown that specialized particles can oscillate together, demonstrating a phenomenon known as emergent behavior. Credits : Image: Courtesy of the researchers - Simple microparticles can beat rhythmically together, generating an oscillating electrical current that could be used to power microrobotic devices. Taking advantage of a phenomenon known as emergent behavior in the microscale, MIT engineers have designed simple microparticles that can collectively generate complex behavior, much the same way that a colony of ants can dig tunnels or collect food. Working together, the microparticles can generate a beating clock that oscillates at a very low frequency. These oscillations can then be harnessed to power tiny robotic devices, the researchers showed. "In addition to being interesting from a physics point of view, this behavior can also be translated into an on-board oscillatory electrical signal, which can be very powerful in microrobotic autonomy. There are a lot of electrical components that require such an oscillatory input," says Jingfan Yang, a recent MIT PhD recipient and one of the lead authors of the new study.
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